


Loco Moco

by Ilmare_Ilse



Series: Coco Puffs: The complete Collection [9]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Season/Series 06 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-04-28 02:29:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5073841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilmare_Ilse/pseuds/Ilmare_Ilse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rice, gravy, a burger patty and of course the fried egg! No snot, but maybe a little bit of crazy from time to time...<br/>This is a collection of short stories, inspired by season 6 and by random prompts or ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The mud is tougher than it seems

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with another set of stories. I hope you approve of the name!
> 
> The first one of this collection is some sort of filler for the race in 6X05.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

The race had been true to its name, but they were making good time. Danny was actually surprised that they seemed to stay somewhere at the top of the group, even if jumping over the obstacles and crawling through the mud had been incredibly unpleasant.

By his account they should only have a couple more obstacles before they were done, so that's what kept Danny going. Knowing that once they were done he could just take a warm shower and stay in bed for the rest of the weekend, or at least until he had to go visit Charlie.

They were working on a tough obstacle, all slippery walls and unstable footholds. Both Steve and Danny were at the top. While Steve directed Chin to the safest footholds and kept him from stumbling back down, Danny, too tired of this damn game to wait for Kono to find a secure foothold, just heaved her up to his side. He helped Kono to the other side while Chin was finishing his climb, and then noticing a group of women struggling with the same obstacle, decided to help a bit. By the time he had helped two of them to the top so they could help the rest of their team, Chin and Steve were safely on the ground and hurrying Danny to get down.

Just as Danny was lowering himself from the wall, a team of guys twice Danny's side rushed the wall, making it shake and causing Danny to lose his hold. He fell ungracefully to the mud, and felt the pull of his knee disagreeing with the rough landing, loudly. He dropped to a crouch, everything going quiet and fuzzy around him for a few seconds, until a big hand landed on his shoulder and brought him back to the present. "Hey Danno… you ok? Come on, we gotta move!" He heard Steve's voice next to his ear.

Danny couldn't really find his voice, just having enough presence of mind to keep breathing and trying to not move his knee. He heard someone moving to his other side "Hey Steve, I think it's his knee" Chin's voice said.

"Damn… Hey Danno, why don't you open your eyes and look at me, huh? Chin… See if you can find a medic around, would ya?" Said Steve's voice.

Danny hadn't even noticed that he'd closed his eyes, but he opened them again to see Steve's worried face. "There you are, Buddy… How bad is it?"

Before he could answer, Kono appeared, breathing heavily. "Hey guys, It's just that last wall, a 300 feet run and then we're done!" She said in excitement. Her face fell when she looked at Danny. "Oh no, Danny. What happened?"

Danny mostly ignored the questions from his teammates, focusing only on the wall a few feet from him. It looked awful, more slippery footholds and mud all over the place, but he'd be damned if he just ran and crawled through almost 5 miles of hell for nothing, so with a deep breath he squeezed Steve's forearm to catch his attention. I'm good… Just need a hand up, and probably a hand up that wall…" He said, nodding to the wall.

Steve frowned, not looking too convinced. "No man, we're getting you a medic, just stay put for a second…" He said gently, checking the wall behind Danny's back just in case someone tried to drop near Danny's position.

Danny shook his head, squeezing Steve's arm again. "I haven't gone through miles of this shit just to give up less than a mile from the finish line, now would you help me up before the Neanderthals from HPD catch up with us?"

Steve shook his head in amusement, calling back to Chin to help him with Danny.

The last wall and 300 feet run after that were hell for Danny, and he guessed for Steve and Chin as well, so the celebration after reaching the finish line has well deserved.

* * *

After the group hug, Steve and Chin picked Danny up again and carried him directly to the medics' tent. The medic poked and prodded at Danny's knee, asked a number of dumb questions and finally, cleaning up a patch on Danny's arm he injected something that made everything much better. Then there were more instructions that Danny completely missed, they wrapped something around his knee and suddenly Danny was standing with crutches, propped on the sides by Chin and Steve, and looking at a cheering crowd.

Someone took Danny's hand and made him lift a finger and when he realized the people in the crowd were taking pictures of them, he just took a second to make sure that he wasn't giving anyone the finger. It was all very confusing and it was over really quickly it seemed, because they were suddenly back in the medics tent and Steve was returning the crutches.

He could hear him talking to the medic, but only caught part of the conversation. "No, he won't need a bus, I'll drive him myself..." "Yeah his knee gives him troble from time to time, but it shouldn't be too bad…"

Suddenly they were moving again, but he was sitting on a wheelchair, and then he was inside the car. He turned confused eyes to look at his parter. "Shteve? Who won?" He asked, frowning a bit at how strange his mouth felt and at his inability to string a whole sentence together.

Steve patted his good leg, making sure that his seatbelt was secure before starting the car. "You won Danno, You won…" He said with a smile.

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I didn't particularly like how they turned Danny into the weakest link and the one that would slow them down, since he looks just as fit as the rest of them! And I was outraged at the lack of actual footage of the race and of Danny's injury, so I wrote this one to make up for it a bit.
> 
> I'd like to know what you think of it!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. There's no Retreating from the Retreat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! This is post 6X11, so expect some spoilers!

The flight back to Oahu was far calmer than the flight to Maui had been. Steve managed to get them the seats by the emergency exit, so Danny had enough room to stretch his leg and keep his ankle elevated. Steve had smoothed things down with the flight attendant, ensuring her than in the case of an emergency, him and Danny would make sure that everyone got out safely, even with Danny's injured ankle, and even procured an ice pack for his friend, so they both made it back home without any further mishaps.

Steve drove Danny to his place and offered to pick him up on Monday morning, so he didn't have to force his ankle, and took off for home, wanting to take a short swim before he went to bed.

* * *

The following morning started without a hitch for Steve, he woke up and followed his usual routine, got out of his place with enough time to stop for some coffee for the team and drove by Danny's to pick him up.

He wasn't happy to see that Danny had taken out his cane again, and that the ankle seemed to be paining his partner still. "Hey, is it still giving you trouble? That sucks, buddy… Wanna stop by the doctor's office to have it checked out?" He asked in concern.

Danny got in the car, wincing a bit once he was settled. "Nah, don't worry. It's not as bad as before. I should be ok by tomorrow." He said with a shrug.

Steve didn't seem too convinced, but let him be. "Ok, suit yourself, man…" He said, starting in the direction of HQ.

* * *

The drive was unusually quiet, but Steve wasn't complaining. Once they reached the Palace, Steve got out of the car, reaching for the tray with the coffees. He caught up with Danny, handing him one of the cups. "Here…" He said.

Danny took the cup with a nod of thanks, and followed Steve up to the office.

Chin, Kono and Lou were already checking some information in the smart table when Danny and Steve came in. They looked up with a teasing smile when they came closer, but their expressions fell on seeing Danny's cane. "What happened?" Asked Kono in concern, while Chin brought a chair closer so Danny could sit.

Danny waved away the need for the chair. "Nothing, I'm fine. I just twisted my ankle during a ridiculous exercise at the workshop thing…" He said with a shrug, both of his hands occupied so he couldn't wave them too much.

Lou winced in sympathy, while Chin chuckled. "So, how did it go with the workshop anyway?" He asked in amusement. "Did you have any breakthroughs?" He asked playfully.

Danny looked at Steve with his eyebrows raised, waiting for his response, while Steve grinned. "It went great! The resort was amazing, and we met this chick on the plane… Went out for drinks with her…" Steve said, looking pleased with himself.

Danny's expression fell for a moment, but he recovered quickly. " _You_ went out for drinks, you mean. I stayed in, nursing my mangled ankle…" He said in half-hearted annoyance.

Chin and Lou looked both surprised and amused by their friends' antics, while Kono frowned in thought. "Wait, what about the therapy? Didn't you attend any sessions?" she asked in surprise.

Steve smirked. "Well, there were lots of activities scheduled at the same time, so nobody could really keep track if we were attending or not! We showed up at a couple of things, and the rest of the time we were free to do whatever we wanted!" He finished with a pleased nod.

Danny didn't look that pleased about the whole thing, but it seemed that he was done arguing about it. "Alright, back to business. Anything new we should know about?" He asked, looking at the rest of their team.

Lou sighed, motioning for Danny to move to his office. "Well, something did come up, but I think you'll need to sit down for this one…"

Steve and Kono moved to follow, but Chin stopped Steve and pulled him to the side. "Yeah Chin, what's up?" Steve asked, wondering if it was something related to their latest case.

Chin shook his head, moving to his own office and signaling for Steve to sit in the visitors' chair. "I just want to understand something. You guys were supposed to work in your partner issues, yet you ended up just taking it as a vacation in a nice resort?" He asked in confusion.

Steve nodded in agreement. "Yup! That place was amazing! It was a great idea to go there!" He said with a happy grin.

Chin frowned in thought. "And you ditched Danny to meet with a woman you met on the flight…" He asked in a neutral tone.

Steve tensed a bit, not liking what Chin was implying. "He didn't feel like going out. He said it was ok, that he'd just have some dinner and turn in early…" He said defensively.

Chin's expression didn't change at Steve's explanation. "I'm just surprised. At first it looked like you were really interested in this workshop and it seemed that Danny was only agreeing to go because of that…"

Steve frowned as well, looking away. "No he didn't. I showed him a brochure of the resort, the big pools, the beach, the dolphins, and the huge rooms! He liked the idea of taking some time off out there!" He said a bit defensively.

"Right, because Danny loves spending time in the outdoors…" Chin deadpanned.

Steve ran a hand down his face, suddenly remembering Danny's words about Rachel wanting to go to marriage counseling. He had said no when Rachel had asked, and by the looks of it, he regretted it. Now that Steve had asked, he had grudgingly said yes, but Steve hadn't followed through. He groaned. "Damn… I fucked up, didn't I?" He said, finally looking at Chin.

Chin didn't say anything, but he didn't really need to.

Suddenly making up his mind on what he had to do, Steve stood up, moving to Lou's office, where the rest of the team was. As soon as he entered, Danny passed him a file. "Steve, you've gotta talk to Ellie. Kame's little brother got himself into a mess and we have to help him!" He said in concern, standing up from the chair and limping out of the office and pulling Steve along, even leaving the cane behind in his haste.

Steve took the file, skimming through it while he followed Danny out of HQ.

* * *

Before they reached the car, Steve stopped his partner. "Hey Danny, listen… It'll be ok. We'll talk to Ellie and get Kanoa a good deal, ok?" He said, reaching out to squeeze Danny's shoulder in comfort, knowing that the situation was a little too close for comfort for his partner. "And once we take care of that, we're going to sit down and have a talk, ok? I just realized how badly I messed up, I dragged you to that relationship thing, and never figured you actually wanted to work on making this thing better… And I'm sorry. I'll try to be better at it, ok?" He said earnestly.

Danny seemed a bit taken aback by Steve's words, but recovered quickly. "You're actually apologizing? Are you feeling alright? Did you have a stroke or something?" Danny said with a smirk.

"Apology accepted. Let's just try to help this kid and then we'll see what we do. I wouldn't want to put you in the uncomfortable position to have to talk about feelings or any such torture…" He finished, moving to the car.

"Thank you, Partner." Steve said with a chuckle, moving to the drivers' side and bowing to himself that he would put himself through that torture if that's what Danny thought they needed to do in order to make things better. But right now, they had a little brother to protect.

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I'm still trying to decide if Steve's behavior in the episode was in or out of character for him, but either way I wished he would get a chance to realize how crappy of a friend he'd been, and I didn't see Danny actually saying something, so this was my solution. Also I figured the situation with Kame and his little brother would hit Danny really hard, so I decided to show it as well. I'd love to hear what you think about this one!


	3. I Want To Believe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This one has comes after 6X13, so expect some spoilers. Also, it discusses some plot points from the X-Files 10x02, so expect some spoilers from that as well.
> 
> Enjoy!

It had been a long day for the whole team, even if by 3 PM they were pretty much done with the paperwork on the murdered cop and the two brothers that had held Chin and Kono hostage. Steve had sent everyone home early, and now Steve and Danny were the last ones out, finally shutting down for the day and heading down to the parking lot.

They drove in the direction of Danny's place in relative silence, since Steve had left his truck there that morning.

Steve for once was letting Danny drive his own car, choosing to sit on the passenger seat, lost in thought. Danny kept throwing concerned glances at his partner, knowing that the other man felt somewhat responsible for the trouble Chin and Kono had ran into that morning. "Hey, I'm starving. You wanna order a pizza or some of that Indian chicken you like?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Steve was a bit surprised by Danny's question, turning to look at his partner with a small shake of his head. "What? Yeah… Pizza, we can order some pizza, and get some beers." He said distractedly, turning back to look out the window.

Danny sighed, hating to see Steve brooding over things he couldn't control, but knowing that there wasn't much he could do about it right now. He was determined to get him out of his head at least, so he nudged him with his phone. "Alright, call it ahead, will ya? So we can pick it up on the way… "

Steve took Danny's phone with a roll of his eyes and dialed the number for the pizza place. "Fine, but I'm driving from Gino's to your place! This is taking forever!" He said in annoyance.

Danny just shook his head. "Of course you are." He said, rolling his eyes as well. "And hey, no pineapple!" He warned, just in case, not surprised at Steve's annoyed mutterings.

* * *

The drive back from Gino's was uneventful. They got the pizza and a couple of six packs, and once they got in, Steve busied himself setting up everything on the coffee table while Danny found an ice bucket for the beers.

When Danny came back with the bucket and some napkins, he was surprised to find Steve watching an X-Files episode. "I didn't know you liked this stuff…" He said in amusement, sitting next to his partner and reaching for a slice of pizza.

Steve was watching entranced as Mulder and Scully interviewed a woman in what looked like a psych ward. "I don't even know what this is." He muttered while reaching for a slice of his own.

Danny raised his eyebrows, both interested by the story of the little girl that could hold her breath under water for minutes and by Steve's cluelessness. "Seriously? You don't know the X-Files? Jerry has been babbling about them nonstop for the last month!" He said just as the pregnant woman managed to crash her car. He didn't mention the fact that both Stella and Matt loved the show, so he'd been forced to watch the whole 9 seasons and was even dragged to the theater to watch the movie, more than once.

Steve shook his head, chewing thoughtfully as the story developed. "This is that 'I want to believe' thing? Never heard of 'em."

Danny chuckled in amusement. "That's because you had a very deprived childhood and adolescence!"

Steve turned to glare at his partner. "I did not! I just had better things to do than watching a stupid TV show!"

Danny lifted his hands in a placating gesture. "Alright, alright! We just had different tastes I guess… Sorry!" He muttered, handing another beer to his friend as a peace offering. "Let's just watch this thing…" He said, settling himself more comfortably on the couch.

They watched the rest of the episode in relative peace, Steve muttering about crappy containment measures and tactical errors while Danny just shook his head in amusement. It was an X-Files episode, it wasn't supposed to be about proper procedure, just the shady conspiracy to hide 'The Truth'.

Danny's amusement died suddenly by the end of the episode, when they started showing a montage of scenes between Mulder and a little boy. "Huh? Who's the kid?" He asked in surprise.

Steve shrugged in confusion. "The red haired lady was talking about their kid in the beginning, they gave him away and she was thinking on all the years she'd lost with him. I guess it's his turn now?"

Danny nodded in understanding, watching the scenes of the father and son doing things together. He jumped a bit when the boy was being abducted, just like Samantha had been, but what hurt the most was the sight of the man, holding a picture of his newborn baby boy, and thinking of everything he'd missed. That was the last straw for Danny, he stumbled to his feet, muttering a lame excuse and moved to the kitchen, and from there to the backyard, in need of some fresh air.

* * *

It took Steve a few minutes to notice that Danny wasn't coming back. He looked around, curious, and finally moved to the kitchen. Noticing the door to the backyard open, he stepped outside, surprised to find Danny sitting in one of the patio chairs and looking at something on his phone.

On closer inspection, Steve could see Danny looking at the photo he took of Charlie on the day that he was born. "Hey, everything alright?"

Danny jumped a bit on hearing Steve and turned around to look at his partner. "What?" he asked.

Steve shook his head, moving closer to Danny, he took a seat on the other chair, looking at his partner in concern. "You know… If a freaky white light ever comes after Charlie, it'll take us no time to track him down and get him back, ok? He'll never even notice he was gone in the first place…" He said, not entirely joking.

Danny chuckled half heatedly. "Right… Alien abduction, yet another thing to worry about happening to my kids…" He said, without much humor.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head and finally focusing on the picture on his friend's hand. "Man… It's not like you really had a choice." He said gently.

Danny shook his head, still looking at the picture. "I lost three years of his life, Rachel was so scared to have me in his life that she lied to all of us, so I'm guessing somewhere along the line I had a choice, I just happened to make a really crappy one."

Steve lifted his hand to place it on Danny's shoulder, squeezing gently. "You trusted in Rachel. You had no reason not to trust in her… Besides now you're in Charlie's life. He loves you…"

Danny shook his head in denial. "I'm not his father, I'm _'Danno'_! I never thought I'd hate that name, but coming from that little boy… It's just a reminder that he doesn't think about me as his Dad…"

Steve winced in sympathy, patting his friend's shoulder. "Listen, buddy. It may take some time, but that little boy is going to realize what a great Dad he has, and you're going to make up for all the time you lost!" He said with a nod, trying to sound cheerful.

Danny glared at Steve in annoyance. "Right, because life always works out that way, right? I messed up, I was stupid and now my little boy is paying for it!"

Steve shook his head. "Come on. Danny, you can't blame yourself for things you had no control of…" He said in concern.

Danny looked up at his friend, studying his face seriously for a minute. Then he burst into giggles. "Seriously?!" He asked in between giggles. " _You_ are asking _me_ not to feel responsible for things I can't control?"

Steve shrugged, looking down at his feet. "Well, yeah… It's good advice!" He said a bit self-consciously. "I may not always do as I say, but I believe this is good advice… At least _I want to believe_ it's good advice!" he said, with an amused smile.

Danny gave his partner an incredulous look. "Right…" He said, shaking his head in amusement. "You're such a dork…"

Steve chuckled as well. "Yeah, but you still love me…"

Danny just rolled his eyes, moving to stand up. "I merely tolerate your craziness. I'm doing a public service by putting up with you!" He said, extending his hand to pull Steve to his feet. "Now come on, I'm sure there's a game or something less depressing to watch…"

Steve stood up and followed Danny back to the house. "Well, knowing you, you'll find a way to make anything depressing, Danno…"

Danny made an incredulous sound. "What? I rarely do that anymore! Besides, you never listen to me when I'm trying to be positive!" he said in outrage.

Steve's reply was lost as they entered the house and closed the door behind them, their argument far from over. But that was the way their partnership worked.

Unlike Mulder, they had no trouble believing. Especially when it came to believing that they had each other's backs, always.

 

* * *

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one felt like a one shot about nothing, but after watching that X-Files episode, the idea about Mulder and Scully missing all of that time with William sounded really similar to Danny missing Charlie's first years, so this story came up.
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, and I'd really like to hear what you think about it!


	4. When Gas is the least of your problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! This is a post-ep for 6x17.
> 
> I want to thank my pal Narkito for reading through this one and giving me some good pointers.
> 
> In any case, all minstakes are mine, my own, my precioussss.

Steve and Danny were still standing, looking at the water when they heard someone calling their names. They turned around to see Duke coming their way with a concerned expression on his face. "Hey Duke, you can transport Novick back to the palace, we'll send all the paperwork to get things moving. I'm not sure if the Feds or NSA will want dibs on her, but for now she's ours and we'll do the booking. Just keep a detail on her at all times." Steve said.

Duke frowned, shaking his head. "We'll handle the booking and the protection detail, but I don't think you'll be able to do the paperwork just yet. A couple of guards just collapsed back in the palace, and we got instructions to take everyone affected by the gas back to Tripler." He said grimly.

Danny looked at Steve in concern. He had to admit that he'd been nursing a headache since he woke up on the floor of the interrogation room. Steve however didn't seem too concerned. "We're good, Duke. We'll handle the booking and head to Tripler if we start to feel bad."

Danny was about to object, but Duke spoke first, frowning at Steve's answer. "I'm sorry Steve, but we got clear instructions from the Governor. Chin and Kono are already in the bus, and Lou is calling Renee to let her know that he's going to the hospital." He said, turning to point in the direction of an ambulance parked nearby.

Steve moved closer to the ambulance while Danny and Duke followed at a distance. "Come on, guys, this is ridiculous! We don't have to head to the hospital if we're not feeling si—" He trailed off when he reached the ambulance.

Inside the ambulance, Chin was sitting with his shoulders hunched, while Kono lay on the gurney with her eyes closed. Chin turned when he heard Steve approaching and offered him a halfhearted smile. "She's good, just a bit of a headache, right cuz?" He asked gently.

Kono just groaned from the gurney, only moving to open one eye and look back at Steve. "'m good, boss…"

Grover finished his call, moving closer while motioning for Steve and Danny to get into the ambulance. "Alright, let's get this show on the road, 'cause I told Renee I'd be home for dinner and I ain't missing her meatloaf!" He said.

Steve looked back at Duke, shaking his head. "Let Kono go in the bus, we'll follow in my truck." He said, but before he could move away, Lou had a hand on his shoulder. "With all the people from the palace being moved to Tripler, we're lucky we got this fine bus all to ourselves, and I don't see them sending another one if you happen to wrap yourself around a pole, so we're getting in this bus like good old Duke here is asking, OK?" He asked, not waiting for Steve's answer. Turning to Danny, he asked instead. "What about your kids? Do you need Renee to pick them up?"

Danny shook his head tiredly. "No, they're with Rachel this weekend. Thanks for the offer, though." He said with a smile, moving to get in the ambulance and take a seat next to Chin. Steve jumped in and sat beside Danny while one of the paramedics followed, sitting in the last space available.

Steve looked in outrage as Lou closed the back doors. "Hey, why'd you get to seat on the front?"

Lou grinned, looking pleased with himself. "Well, I'm a big boy; I need a little bit more space!" He said while he moved to the passenger seat.

The space inside the ambulance was limited, so they were all sitting on the bench shoulder to shoulder. The paramedic squeezed past Steve to check on Kono, and that forced Danny to lean closer to Steve's side.

The drive back to the city would take about 30 minutes and the paramedic reassured them that Kono was resting and that her vitals were stable.

They were all relieved at the update. Chin was still leaning close to the gurney, keeping hold of Kono's hand while the paramedic stood on the other side.

Steve and Danny had moved to the far corner of the bench, where they could leave more room for the paramedic to move freely. That meant that Danny was still leaning somewhat on Steve's side. He was about to tease his partner for curling up so close to his side when he noticed that Danny's eyes were closed and he was snoring softly. "Danny?" He asked in concern.

* * *

The first thing Danny felt was something soft under his head. He was laying on a bed, with blankets tucked snuggly over his chest, there was something on his wrist that pulled when he shifted his hand and some sort of tube under his nose that itched fiercely and was generally annoying,

His eyelids felt heavy, but he managed to open them a crack and found himself in an unfamiliar dim room. "What?" He mumbled with a frown, trying to remember what brought him to this room, but the last thing he could remember was capturing Anna Novick.

Danny's anxiety decided to make an appearance. He had no idea where he was, and his brain felt fuzzy, so his first thought was that there had been some sort of trap. He tried to get his uncooperative muscles to work so he could sit up, but he ended up flopping to his side. "Shit!" He said in distress.

He heard some shuffling movement coming from behind him and it only helped to alarm him more, so he tried to sit up again, this time taking a hold of the railing of the bed he was lying on.

Before he could move any further, a pair of hands took hold of his shoulders and pulled him to lie back down, but a familiar voice made him reconsider his fight or flight stance. "Hey, Danny… Stay still. You're ok, it's all ok…" Steve said gently.

Danny turned to look at his partner, letting himself fall back into the bed. "What?" He asked in confusion.

Steve made sure that the IV on Danny's arm and the cannula under his nose hadn't been dislodged and then sat on the bed, studying his friend's face. "We're at Tripler. Remember that Duke said that some people at the Palace had been more affected by the gas? Well, as it turns out, Novick used Fentanyl, and it hit some people harder than others, so we're all stuck here for the night, while they keep an eye on our breathing, and renal and liver function."

Danny frowned, still a bit confused by the whole situation. "But… I was was the one on the gurney, wasn't she?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, she was feeling dizzy, but the doctors checked her over and she's sleeping it off in a room down the hall." He said, nodding in the direction of the door. "You passed out in the ambulance on the way here. The doctor wasn't really sure why it hit you a bit harder than the rest of us. Maybe you breathed more gas from your position in the room, or maybe you just had a bad day. In any case the guys from the Lab are checking the Palace from top to bottom to make sure that there's nothing to worry about over there."

Danny nodded a little more awake now. "What about the others? Are they OK?"

Steve nodded as well. "They're all good. They have to stay overnight as well, but the doctors were not worried. Lou was grumbling about missing Renee's meatloaf, but she stopped by about an hour ago and brought him dinner, so he was pretty happy after that." He said with a smile. "I also called Rachel, told her that you were fine and that we'd all be out of here by tomorrow. I didn't want the kids to worry if they saw something on the news." He said, looking unsure.

Danny smiled, reaching to pat Steve's hand in thanks. "That's great, thanks buddy."

Steve seemed to hesitate before he spoke again. "I wanted to call Melissa as well, to let her know that you'd be stuck here for the night." He said as an opening, watching in concern as Danny tensed and looked away. "I couldn't find her number on your phone…" He said, in way of a question.

Danny still wouldn't look at his partner, deciding to study the bedsheets instead. "Eh… No, it's OK. We are not seeing each other anymore, so there's no need to call her." He said quietly.

Steve wasn't sure how to react. He was a bit annoyed that Danny hadn't said anything, but at the same time he could tell that maybe this was not the best time to talk about it, so he just drew a tired sigh and patted his friend's leg in comfort. "That sucks, buddy."

Danny just shrugged, still not looking at his friend. "Well, it is what it is." He turned to look at the other side of the room, just now noticing another bed and the fact that Steve was wearing a hospital gown. "Hey, shouldn't you be lying down or something?"

Steve chuckled, patting Danny's leg again before standing up. "The doctor said I can move around a bit, I'm only stuck to this IV until they're done with the tests." He said, motioning towards the IV stand that he had brought with him from his side of the room. "I only had a bit of a headache, so they weren't too concerned about me."

Danny nodded, watching as Steve moved back to his bed and trying to figure out if his friend was feeling worse than he let on. Once Steve was settled on his bed, Danny decided to breach the real subject. "So… How are you really doing?" He asked quietly. "And please, please, don't tell me you're fine." He pleaded.

Steve lifted his eyes to meet his partner's and then lowered them to look at his blankets, much like Danny had done before. "Honestly? I have no idea… I mean, I have really tried to move on, I knew that she was off doing what she thought was right, but now… I just don't know…" He said quietly. "I'm just tired of it all I guess." He said, looking back at Danny again.

Danny nodded, knowing far too well the feeling. "I know, babe. But you're not alone, ok? You need to get that into that thick skull of yours. You have me and Kono and Chin and Lou. And we've got your back." He said fiercely.

Steve looked at him in gratitude. "I know, partner… Thank you." He said quietly, reaching for the water glass on the side table by his bed and taking a drink.

A nurse showed up right then, giving them a chance to collect their thoughts and take a breather. She took both their vitals, helped Danny to the bathroom and back and took off, promising to be back in a couple of hours.

After the nurse left, both men remained in a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Steve was the first to shake himself out of it, turning to look at his partner. "Hey, Danny. You do know that the same applies to you, right?" He asked.

Danny looked back at Steve in surprise. "What?" He asked in confusion.

"What you said before, about me not being alone. You're not alone either, and we all got your back…" Steve said gently.

Danny looked down, seeming a bit uncomfortable. "Yeah. Of course I know that…" He said uneasily.

Steve moved to sit sideways in his own bed, not wanting to crowd his friend but wanting to be able to look at him more easily. "Do you, really? Because it sounds like it's been a while since the thing with Melissa is over, and you hadn't said anything until now."

Danny just looked up to glare at his partner, but looked like he was working hard to bite his own tongue.

Steve on the other hand, didn't really need Danny to say anything after all, the look on his face said more than enough. "Damn,I've been such an asshole that you didn't bother with trying to tell me about it." He said, looking down in remorse.

"No! It's just… Things have been shitty for everyone lately, ok? I just didn't want to add my problems to the mix." Danny argued, not wanting to make Steve feel bad.

Steve looked at Danny again. "OK, but now I know, so why don't you tell me what happened?" He asked, still curious.

Danny shrugged, looking uncomfortable again. "Nothing really happened. She needed something I couldn't give her, so she decided to leave. It's better that way, she deserves someone better anyway." He said quietly.

Steve shook his head in disagreement. "Danny…"

Danny just lifted his hand to stop any word of encouragement. "It's true, she deserves better, so it's ok."

Steve shook his head again. "It's not ok, buddy." he said sadly.

Danny chuckled tiredly, lifting a hand to rub his forehead. "Yeah ok, it sucks; I'll give you that." He said with a sigh, leaning back against his pillow to stare at a random point on the wall. "It's still better than the alternative." He muttered under his breath, not noticing that he was thinking out loud.

"What? What alternative?" Steve asked, not realizing that the last part was not meant for him.

Danny jumped a bit at Steve's words but recovered himself quickly. "What? No, never mind, I'm just tired I guess. I'm not making much sense…" He said, as he moved a bit restlessly on the bed.

Steve frowned, standing up and pulling the IV stand with him, so he could move closer to Danny's bed again. He leaned against the side of Danny's bed so he could be at the same level as his partner. "Hey, when have you ever made sense anyway?" He said with a smile. "Knowing you, the idea of a happily ever after is the worst fate you could turn up with, right?" He said, studying his partner.

Danny tried to force a smile, but it came up short. "Yeah…" He said, trailing off.

Steve leaned closer, reaching out to gently squeeze Danny's forearm. "Hey, Danno, you know you can talk to me—"

Danny pulled his arm away, growing even more restless. "No. I don't want to do this. I don't want to talk about this. Can we please not talk about this?" He said forcefully, an edge of anger in his voice.

Steve stepped back, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. "OK, man. I'm sorry. We don't have to do this, Danno. " He said quietly.

Danny looked at Steve, shaking his head and knowing that there was no getting away from it now. He felt self-conscious and trapped, and he didn't want to talk about things, but as usual his partner would get his way. "It's just- I'm tired of losing people." He said, blowing a shaky breath. "But it's better if they leave, 'cause I'm even more tired of hospitals and funerals," he finished in a choked up voice.

Steve didn't really know what to say. He feared he was just as tired as Danny, only he couldn't really bring himself to admit it, but he didn't know how to make things better himself, either.

At Steve's silence, Danny started worrying that he'd said too much. "Hey, forget about it, ok? It's just ridiculous. Can we just pretend this whole thing didn't happen?" He asked, pleading.

Steve shook his head. "Sorry, buddy, but no, can't do." He said seriously. "I can't do that, mainly because you're not the only one feeling like that right now." He said, making an effort not to look away from his partner.

Danny scoffed. "Now you're just being an asshole." He griped in annoyance.

Steve shook his head, still looking at his partner. "Well, we've already established that I've been a huge asshole lately, but right now I'm telling you the truth."

Danny studied his friend's face for a minute, his face crumbling in sympathy. "Man, we're so fucked up…" He said with a weary chuckle.

Steve chuckled as well. "Yeah, but I think we've been going about things the wrong way. I've been trying to just move on, deal with stuff as I usually do, and I lost sight of my partner's back. I left you behind." He said sadly. Danny was about to interrupt, but Steve just kept talking. "No, I did, Danno. And while I was busy moving forward and pretending that nothing happened, you were getting hit from all sides, with your back to the wall, just trying to make it till the next day."

Danny looked down, not wanting to admit how bad things were. "It wasn't that bad…" He said lamely.

Steve didn't look too convinced. "Either way. I'm done; I don't want to keep going as we were." He said seriously.

Danny didn't like the sound of that, but knew that he couldn't force Steve to do anything he didn't want to do. "Ok, so what do you propose?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"I propose that we start working on this thing." He said pointing at the space between them.

Danny frowned, not liking what he was hearing too much. "Please don't tell me that you want to go to another couple's retreat." He pleaded.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "No, Danno. I just want you to come to me when you get weird ideas in your head. No matter how strange they are! If you start worrying that some aliens are going to abduct Grace, you come to me and we'll deal with it together. If you're worried that Charlie has a runny nose, you come to me and we deal with it together. If you're worried about the FBI setting us up, then what do you do?" He asked, motioning for Danny to answer.

Danny rolled his eyes. "I come to you and we deal with it together." He parroted, not sounding too convinced. "Funnily enough, for some reason I'm the only one doing anything in your plan." He said, letting some annoyance seep in.

"Well, my part in our plan will be to go to you when something comes up that I don't want to deal with or that I'm brushing under the carpet. You'll be there to make me deal with shit and I'll be there so you can see that you don't have to deal with everything." He said with a smile.

Danny didn't like the idea any better after Steve's explanation. "I don't see how that's gonna help with everything that's going on."

Steve smiled in encouragement. "Well, I can't guarantee that we won't still be the sorry sons of bitches that we are right now but at least we won't be alone if we are, which is at least an improvement from how things were." He said with a shrug. "We can always bring in the team to share in our misery." He finished with a grin.

Danny didn't look amused at all. "I can't promise that I'll tell you about every single thing that makes me anxious." He said, sounding unsure.

Steve nodded in understanding. "Can you promise you'll try?" He asked.

Danny took a minute to think about his answer. "I will if you will…" Danny finally replied.

Steve nodded, extending his hand for Danny to shake. "Then we have a deal, partner."

Danny shook Steve's hand and then started shooing him away. "Alright, now can you move back to your bed, 'cause I'm freaking exhausted and I have no intention of spooning with you."

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going!" Steve said while he stood up and started to move back to his bed.

Before he reached his bed, Danny spoke. "Babe?"

Steve turned back to look as Danny settled more comfortably in his bed. "Yeah, partner?"

"Thank you. Sometimes you're not as big as an asshole after all." Danny said with a small smile.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head. "Right back at you, Danno." He said as he got into his bed.

* * *

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, for starters, it was amusing to see a whole building full of people being gassed with a misterious substance and that everyone was just fine after it, so I wrote this one as some sort of fix-it. The rest was my usual schoop.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think of it!


	5. Daddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is set some time before 6x18.

Stan was just saving a report on his laptop when Charlie came running into the room with a happy smile on his face. Stan stood up and reached to pick the boy up and hold him high in the air. "Hello Buddy! What are you up to?" He said as he lowered him to rest against his chest.

Charlie squealed and giggled at the move, reaching up to hold onto his Dada's shoulder. "Daddy called to say goodnight, and now I came to say goodnight to you, Dada!" He said with a smile.

Stan's face fell, and he couldn't stop a shocked "what?" to escape his lips.

At Stan's reaction, Charlie grew upset. "I'm sorry Dada… I won't call him Daddy again, I know you're my daddy." He said in a tremulous voice.

Stan shook himself and squeezed his little boy closer. "Hey, you have nothing to apologize about, ok? It's ok if you want to call him Daddy sometimes, I don't mind…" He said, trying to muster up a smile.

Charlie looked him in the eye for a minute. "Really? Even if you're my daddy too?"

Stan nodded, lifting a hand to gently pinch Charlie's nose. "Really, son. It's OK"

Charlie leaned his head on Stan's shoulder to give him a warm hug. "I love you, Dada!"

Stan rubbed his boy's back, relishing the moment. "I love you too, buddy. To the moon and back".

* * *

It was supposed to be just a regular day with the kids. Danny stopped by Rachel's to pick them up and waited outside, not wanting to make things more uncomfortable than they already were.

Grace came out first, carrying her backpack. She approached her father with a pleased smile, giving him a warm hug. "Hey Danno!" She said with a happy smile.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you? Do you have everything you need for the weekend?" He asked her with a kind smile.

Grace nodded, moving to open the trunk of the car and put her things there.

Just then Rachel came out of the house with Charlie holding her hand. At the sight of Danny, the little boy let go of Rachel's hand and launched himself towards Danny. "Daddy!" He squealed in joy before launching himself in Danny's direction.

Danny crouched to catch his little boy, swallowing a couple of times before he could speak. "Heeeey Charlie! I missed you so much!" He said, leaning to kiss the little boy over the head.

He lifted his eyes to Rachel, not knowing what reaction to expect from her, but she wasn't looking at them, she was looking at Grace.

Danny turned to look at his daughter and was surprised to see the heartbroken look on Grace's face. Before he could move, she had moved to open the passenger door, lifting the seat to sit at the back, next to Charlie's seat. "Can we go already?" She asked in annoyance.

Danny picked Charlie up and secured him on his seat and they were ready to go.

The drive back to the house was awkward to say the least. Grace was looking out of the window the entire time, while Charlie kept asking her if she was ok. At least Grace wasn't biting the little boy's head off, but the tension in the car was palpable and Danny didn't know what to do about it.

When they reached the house, Danny moved to lift his seat so Grace could get out more easily. His face fell when he saw his little girl wiping away a tear. "Monkey…" He said, reaching out to provide some comfort.

Grace glared at him, slapping the hand away. "I'm not a monkey!" She said in a voice full of tears as she jumped out of the car and stormed into the house.

Danny watched his little girl walk away from him and marveled at how one little word brought so much joy and heartache at the same time.

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a little bad about this one, but I don't see any scenario where the transition from Danno to Daddy was an easy one for either Stan or Grace, so this came up.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think!


	6. Thank you, Partner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is short and came out in a rush, but I needed this scene after the finale.
> 
> Spoilers for the season 6 finale, BTW.

Surprisingly, the room was silent after Danny closed the curtain. It may have helped that the night nurse chose that moment to come in and check on the pair, but the silence remained even after she left, lowering the lights and instructing the pair to get some sleep.

The silence wouldn't have lasted so long if Danny had noticed that Steve was once again refusing any kind of opioids, opting instead for the milder OTC painkillers as he had been doing ever since he was a little more aware, which had only happened about 24 hours ago.

Danny on the other hand didn't question the meds prescribed by the doctor, even if they made him drowsy and not at all in control of his brain-mouth filters.

Steve was trying to figure out what the soap opera was about when he heard a soft sniff from the other side of the curtain. He rolled his eyes, reaching out to pull the curtain back. "Alright, if it means so much to you then I'll just put the damn game!" He said in annoyance, cutting himself off in surprise when he noticed Danny looking away and hastily lifting his hand to rub his eye. "Hey Danno, you ok?"

Danny nodded, not looking at his partner. "Yeah, I'm good." He muttered in a soft voice.

Steve frowned in concern. "Hey, buddy. We can watch the game if you want." He said gently, switching gears and trying to figure out what had upset his friend.

Danny chuckled, but it sounded more like a stifled sob. "I don't care about the stupid game. I'm just tired." He bit out, sounding distraught.

Steve wasn't buying Danny's act, so he decided to push his partner. "Come on, buddy. Why don't you just tell me what's up? Is it because you didn't get any 'get well' cards?" he said in a teasing tone. He grew more concerned when he didn't get a reaction from his partner. "Come on! You know I will bug you until you get it out." He cajoled, hoping that Danny's silence wouldn't last too long.

It took a minute for Danny to start speaking, but when he did, he was looking straight at the TV. "You were dead." He said harshly. "You were pale and still, and the asshole couldn't tell if you were dead or alive. Then the guy from the radio wanted me to land on the water!" He growled, finally turning to look at Steve. "But I-I couldn't! You were out and there was no way to get you out of the plane in the water! So I landed the thing on the beach, and I hoped that they would get you to the hospital in time, but that wasn't enough! So yes, I gave you half of my liver! 'cause I can't, Ok? I-I can't keep doing it… I'm tired of losing people that I love!" He snarled, looking away again and lifting his hands to pass them roughly over his eyes.

Steve was speechless for a minute, but recovered himself quickly. "Hey… Partner." He said gently, waiting until he could catch Danny's eyes. He didn't know what to say to make thing right, but once he saw the traces of fear on Danny's eyes, he knew what he needed to do. "Thank you for saving my life." He said sincerely. "And twice!" He added with a smile, knowing that his partner would have the last word.

Danny swallowed a couple of times before he spoke. "I gave you half of my liver. I think that counts for two, at least." He muttered, raising his eyebrows.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Alright, thank you for saving my life… thrice! I love you, partner."

Danny finally smiled, blinking tiredly at the TV. "Yeah, yeah… You can pay me back by putting the damn game on." He said sleepily.

Once Steve changed the channel, he could hear a final sleepy mumble from the other bed. "Love ya too, Babe…"

* * *

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess the ending felt a little flat for me, because we had everyone praising Steve and honoring him, and Danny was just left as the comic relief, again! So I needed something like this in the episode.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think of it.


End file.
